cupied by crowds of the populace, who seated on the ground calmly looked on as if at a bull-fight.
Shortly before midday, Hidalgo's army appeared in sight, approaching by the Marfil road.[1] Advancing along the causeway of Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, the van, composed of a strong body of Indians armed with lances, clubs, and bows and arrows, crossed the bridge and arrived in front of the barricade at the foot of the cuesta de Mendizábal. Gilberto de Riaño, son of the intendente,[2] who was in command at this point, opened fire on them as they continued to advance, when ordered, in the name of the king, to halt. Several Indians fell; the rest retreated, and guided by a native of the place, took up a position on the cerro del Cuarto. The main body now formed into two divisions, one of which, making a detour, approached by the cerro de San Miguel, and entering the city by the causeway of las Carreras,[3] liberated the jail prisoners, and then occupied the cerro del Venado. The other division made a detour by the hacienda de Flores in order to occupy the cerro del Cuarto.
The city was now in possession of the insurgents, and, as they marched through the streets, thousands of voices raised the dreadful battle-cry, while they waved hundreds of different colored banners, on which was depicted the sacred emblem. The miners, a brave
- ↑ The number of armed men in Hidalgo's force is not exactly known. Robinson, Mem. Max. Rev., i. 27, says that he left Celaya with nearly 20,000. Bustamante, Torrente, Alaman, and others also place the number at 20,000. Liceaga, Adic. y Rectific., 82, raises it to 25,000 men of all classes, 2,000 of whom were regular troops of the San Miguel regiment of dragoons de la Reina, and of the provincial infantry regiment, companies of which joined the insurgents at Celaya, Salamanca, and Irapuato. Mora, on the contrary, gives 14,000 as the estimated number, besides 400 regulars, 'sin contar con la tropa reglada que no pasaban de cuatrocientos, y se hallaban como perdidos y absolutamente embarazados para obrar entre esta multitud disordenada.' Mej. y sus Rev., iv. 33-4.
- ↑ Gilberto was a lieutenant of the line regiment of Mexico, and was staying with his father on leave of absence. He was a young man of considerable military ability. The construction of the barricades was intrusted to his direction, and he devised the plan of converting the quicksilver flasks into grenades. Alaman, Hist. Mej., i. 417.
- ↑ On the summit of the cerro de San Miguel was a small plain where the people were wont to attend horse-races on days of festivity. Hence its name of las Carreras. Id., 408.
